A New Career Chapter

After more than a decade in the world of broadcast meteorology, late 2019 brought a new journey on my career path. While difficult to branch away from a career I thoroughly enjoyed, the opportunity to join the National Renewable Energy Laboratory was one I couldn’t turn down. I am glad to join this incredible operation, where cutting edge research is being done toward a clean, healthier future of energy. I will be one of the communications strategists on the team, helping spread the good word about the work going on at the lab and within the US Department of Energy. I’m excited to take on this new role, and find new ways to explore my passion for science and communication.

A Ride on ‘The Polar Express’

That’s a WRAP!

For the first time since college, I was part of a theatrical production- The Polar Express! Since early October, I had been in rehearsals learning choreography, line memorization, and scene blocking on a real, moving train.  This was certainly the most unique play I’ve ever been a part of.

I played the part of the ‘chef’, which in this version, was the 2nd lead character to the conductor! In some shows, I also got to play an elf at the North Pole. We brought the story of the Polar Express to life to a crowd of 40-70 patrons each show. The production was immersive, meaning it was meant to take our audience into a world of production.  This was not just scripted lines presented on a stage, but living characters constantly interacting and improvising with the crowd.  With 3 shows per night, 12 nights, over 7 weeks, this was a real challenge to my ability to stay in character, improvise, and entertain people of all ages! I had a blast. A big shout-out and thanks to my fellow cast and crew, as well as all of the volunteers at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden CO.

 

A New Forecast Partnership, SnoCountry.com

I’m excited to take on yet another forecast partnership. All this 2016-2017 winter season, I will be providing SnoCountry.com with weekly web stories all about the near term forecasts. SnoCountry.com caters to skiers and snowboarders around the world, getting winter outdoor enthusiasts excited for all of the great conditions and events at various ski areas.

My forecasts will focus on North American ski areas, seeking out the next snow, and best conditions to hit the slopes. Look for my new “SnoCast” every Wednesday here, on SnoCountry.com.

AMS Conference 2016

 Just back from the 96th annual conference of the American Meteorological Society! What a fantastic experience to meet up with old and new colleagues and learn about the latest research in atmospheric sciences and climate.

The week long meetup of climate, water, and atmospheric scientists took place in New Orleans this year. With nearly 4000 attendees, this was the largest conference yet.

You can learn more about the conference right on the AMS website here >>ametsoc.org 

 
I was asked to be 1 of 4 panelists for one session of the conference. The panel was part of the conference for Early Career Professionals, aimed to help undergrads, grad students, and those newly starting their careers further assistance to launch their careers to a new level. I was happy to represent the broadcast sector for early career meteorologists, alongside 3 others representing academia, government, and private sector professionals.

Each day was jam packed with opportunities to hear about various research projects, latest technologies and best practices, and overall general discussions on many topics. Numerous networking events allowed me to meet up with old classmates and colleagues, and also meet new ones. My alma mater, Lyndon State College, also held an alumni reception to reconnect with classmates and see where their careers have gone (pictured).  

 If you’re on Twitter, be sure to review some of the conference highlights through attendee tweets using the hashtag #AMS2016 – you can check out my page @kerrinjeromin

While there,  I also took a little time to check out the amazing city of New Orleans. First time visiting the city and I am excited to go back and see more. What a beautiful, colorful, lively city with deep history and delicious food, too! If you e read some of my other blogs, you’ll know that I was simply thrilled to self tour a brand new city. I took these photos while venturing out- and, yes, that’s a delicious, got beignet at Cafe Du Monde. If yo And haven’t had one, make sure to try it next time you’re in New Orleans.  

Interviewed by Scott Fleishman for his podcast, Happy Talk!

I had a recent opportunity to be interviewed by a tv news colleague, Scott Fleishman. Scott works as a sports anchor at WCAX-TV in Burlington, Vermont, and also started a podcast, Happy Talk, where he interviews various tv news professionals to talk about their “story” and experiences working as a broadcaster.

As many of you know, I am married to another meteorologist, Steve Glazier. Steve and I have worked together at 2 different tv stations for the past several years, and were able to talk about that and our careers in Scott’s latest podcast.

Scott, *thank you* for chatting with us! Have a listen, and if you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe to Happy Talk and help spread the word about Scott’s podcast. Good stuff, and really interesting for those working in (or interested in working in) television news.

Link to Scott’s website and podcast > http://scottfleishmantv.com/2015/11/03/ep-19-steve-glazier-kerrin-jeromin-wpec-tv-cbs-12-west-palm-beach-fl/

STEM Event at the South Florida Science Center

Another great opportunity to encourage girls to be scientists!

I was recently invited to the South Florida Science Center in West Palm Beach, FL to talk to a group of young girls about their current interests and possible future careers as scientists. The GEMS Club (Girls Excelling in Math and Science) is a monthly meeting of girls, mostly in grades 3-8, to get excited about their interests in the STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). It was my pleasure to talk with nearly 70 girls who have interests in science and math, and encourage them to continue to follow those interests!

I spoke to them about my career in meteorology.  I explained to tell them, it’s not just about being on TV! While that is mostly what *you at home* see with my job, there is so much more to it. There are numbers to crunch and there is data to analyze to create a forecast.   We talked about data analysis, and the basic scientific method that a meteorologist does on a daily basis to analyze the weather, and make a forecast.

I think they were surprised at how much there is to do! How much science is really involved, and how much more we have yet to learn.

In fact, that was my drive home point… there is so much left to learn! There are endless possibilities in science and math because, basically, WE DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING. There will always be something new to learn. We will continue to discover new things about Earth’s weather and environment. There will always be the next “big thing” in technology. There will always be more to learn about our ecosystems… ecosystems on other planets perhaps, more about the Universe and everything in it. That’s why I encourage these girls to stay in science. They could discover or create the “next big thing” that we may not even be able to comprehend at this time in our history.

Who knows? Maybe one of those girls will be the first to create the most accurate weather model we have ever seen. Maybe they will create a brand new way to mass transportation that creates zero emissions or environmental impact. Maybe they engineer a piece of equipment that will make life saving medical advances. The possibilities are endless and I’m glad I got the chance to inspire them to reach for those limitless ends.

Thanks for having me!

For more info on the GEMS club and science center, click here to be directed to the SFSC website.

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